The place: Along the north wall of the spare, 34-seat dining room are bundles of Japanese charcoal, which is prized for its detoxifying properties (Suzuki also owns an alternative medicine business). Bushi Udon’s hot kitchen is tucked behind a large traditional red doorway curtain, in front of which is the sushi counter where Oguchi works.

By the numbers: • 30 seats in the dining room (plus four at the sushi bar) • 3 types of green tea: genmaicha, premium sencha and hojicha • 2 months, the time it took for Oguchi to develop the flour blend he uses to make his udon (he had to compensate for the high gluten content of Canadian flour) • 1 udon noodle machine, hidden in the basement (there are only three in all of Canada)

Every day, Oguchi makes his fish-based udon broth from dried anchovies, bonito flakes and mackerel. In fact, the restaurant’s name, Bushi, comes from “katsuobushi,” which is the Japanese name for the dried bonito used in the soup base

Two different house-made udons: white wheat-based noodles and brown spelt noodles, which will be available starting in April. Udon is purported to be healthier than ramen which is usually served in a heavier, fattier soup